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Dogs poisoned in Old North End neighborhood

It's a crime pattern that's shocked the neighborhood called the Old North End in Colorado Springs. Someone is poisoning dogs in the area. "It was sort of disbelief that someone would take a harmless animal and be so cruel." says Beth Carlson. She lives with her husband Bob in the Old North End and walks their dog around the neighborhood every day.

An email sent to residents by the Old North End Neighborhood organization said a dog was killed last month after someone threw poison over a fence and a three-year-old Labrador ate it. A similar situation happened earlier this month. Bob Carlson fears the same thing could happen to his dog. "We still worry because he would be friendly to someone coming up and offering him something."

The poisoning is causing everyone in the neighborhood to look around a little more. "We're cautious," says Beth. "We especially try to check out the back yard just to see if by some chance somebody has thrown something in we're not aware of." They want to catch the person poisoning the neighborhood dogs before that person poisons their pets. "We walk over here every day. I'm noticing I'm looking more down the alley because that's where it was occurring."

Residents in the area are also afraid this may be part of a blossoming crime ring. Neighbors tell us one of the houses whose dog was poisoned was also burglarized a short time later. Neighbors fear criminals may be poisoning the dogs in order to make it easier for them to get into homes. If you have any information on these crimes you are asked to call Colorado Springs Police at 444-7000.